2. cables
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Cable curmudgeon

I'm not an 'audiophile" but I like to think I have a good ear having been a professional musician (principal wind player in major symphony orchestras) for 50 years. A number of years ago going into an excellent audio equipment store I talked with, what seemed, a knowledgeable salesman.  Being a musician experienced in audio systems but not expert on all the equipment out there I had some questions concerning high (over-priced?) end cables. The salesman assured there was an audible differencet in a demo room switching back and forth etc.  After a few minutes I noticed the sound coming out of only one channel.  He complemented me on my "good ear."  Hmmm? A few years later when setting up my home system I investigated speaker cables. Two sets of Monster, stranded standard cable, solid core copper (used for alarm system) attached with like connecters. There was a difference.  However, not in terms of better or worse: bass and treble were acceptable as was clarity loud and soft.  Differences were esthetic- like asking "whose the best tenor" (I like Plácido).  Now I know as a musician used to live (i.e. un-amplified) music that all I hear coming out of a loud speaker is perforce ersatz.  But most everything today comes out of a loud speaker whether a rock concert or a hi-fi system so perhaps my opinion is curmudgeonly. But, for me, spending oodles of money on hyped cables, well... I  liked the solid core for my alarm system- still do.

 

exflute
kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
276 posts
 

I started with a cardboard record player. When I got a little older, my mom let me play records on her console stereo. The sound was better, especially the bass. Next step was a Dynamo ST70/PAS 3x powering Utah 12" speakers. Better. Then I swapped out the lamp cord for Monster cables. There was an undeniable improvement in sound quality, which was even more noticable when I upgraded to some B&O speakers.

I had to leave the Monster cables at home when I went to college, and went back to zip cables. That only lasted a few weeks, and despite being a broke college student found the money to buy another set of Monster cables. The Monster cables sounded better, and I was rewarded by my cable upgrade and was content. There was no question that the Monster cables performed better in my modest system.

Flash forward to today. I have a small collection of decent cables, and can afford to buy whatever I want. I enjoy monkeying around with speaker cables and interconnects, and there are differences, but they are subtle (not big differences like the zip cord/Monster cable difference). What I seek today is lack of listening fatigue and easier involvement in the music. Sound "quality" stays about the same: if I listen just for a few minutes I can’t discern much of a difference, but after a few hours it is easy to tell which cables work better in my system.

mambacfa
76 posts
 

Like you, I'm a flutist with academic degrees in music - and I have a high-end audio system. I'm the last one to claim that my ears are better than anyone else's ears. In fact, I have two "golden ears" people whose opinions I highly value when deciding on equipment, and neither of them knows anything about music. I think it's about how closely you listen, and how you evaluate what you hear. 

rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano
2,673 posts
 

Exflute,

I’m a classical professional expiano player and believe I have pretty good ears too.
I understand you feel recorded music can never equal live music and I agree with that. But, it can come closer than what I believe you think. The better your system, the closer it gets. I’m not so sure your system is at the point where you can effectively evaluate that closeness.

erictal4075's avatar
erictal4075
70 posts
 

I have a WONDERFUL, nearly cable-free sound system - the only cable it has is the power cord to the wall outlet - no other cords needed; it solves everyone’s cable dilemma perfectly: a Bose Table-Top Radio with Built-In CD Player (it does have a short wire antenna to pick up local FM and AM radio stations).

Nothing could better help us avoid having to deal with interconnect cables in an audiophile system than what I describe here. Simplicity is THE way to go!

soix
9,694 posts
 

it solves everyone’s cable dilemma perfectly: a Bose Table-Top Radio with Built-In CD Player (it does have a short wire antenna to pick up local FM and AM radio stations). Nothing could better help us avoid having to deal with interconnect cables in an audiophile system than what I describe here. Simplicity is THE way to go!

Right on! I own a bicycle instead of a car so I don’t have to deal with pumping all that gas. Sure it might suck a little when it rains, snows, is 10 degrees outside, or when my destination is 100+ miles away and requires me to bring luggage. But it’s so worth it to not have to pump any gas. Yeesh.

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